This invention relates to musical metronomes and in particular to a metronome having optimum rhythm conveyed to a first earphone and exercise rhythm from a four-finger rhythm generator conveyed to a second earphone for comparison of rhythm generated with the optimum rhythm.
Previous metronomes have included a wide variety of rhythm generators. The most basic are ticking devices that tick out a rhythm. These are fine for music that does not require a high precision of rhythm. For high precision of professional music, however, mere ticks of rhythm are not detectable with sufficient precision. As a result, electronic metronomes have been devised for particular types of music and use conditions. None, however, have provided the dual-earphone comparison of target rhythm with practice rhythm and other features of this invention.
Examples of different metronomes in prior art include U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,642 granted to Nishikawa et al. The Nishikawa patent employs difference of main sound from tune sound. Japanese Patent 1-114787 granted to Mitsuharu samples and compares external beat with optimum beat independently of participation by a user. U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,551 granted to Firmani et al. provides both audible and visual indicators of proper beat but not by comparison in earphones. U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,853 granted to Tumblin teaches use of lights to indicate sharp, flat or correct pitch of a plurality of tone generators of musical instruments under control of one microprocessor. U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,582 granted to Diamond describes a means for isolating individual musicians in a group whose instruments are being played out of "sync". U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,400 granted to Morohoshi et al. teaches an electronic metronome that generates upbeat and downbeat signals that yield audible and visual signals to a musician. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,257 granted to Watkins teaches a programmable metronome which produces audible and visual indicators of a beat which may be varied.